He replaced the popular inaugural CEO of the not for profit, Danielle Szetho, who oversaw a rise in the association’s membership base from around 50 to more than 200 over two years.

Kitschke wanted to advance Australia’s standing as a leader in financial technology across the Asian region.

“Part of my role will be to leverage Australia’s position as a fintech leader in the regional marketplace,” he told Business Insider when he was appointed.

His departure was confirmed by the Chair, Alan Tsen.

“We are sad to hear that his health concerns meant he could no longer remain in the role of CEO,” says Tsen.

“During his time as CEO, Brad worked on a number of important initiatives for Fintech Australia including our upcoming Intersekt conference, the annual EY Fintech Census and driving operational improvements at Fintech Australia. We wish him well for a speedy recovery.”

FinTech Australia is now looking for a new CEO. Rebecca Schot-Guppy, Head of Community and Partnership, will be working on key projects.

“As a board, we are focused on our core goals of being the voice for our members and are looking forward to continuing to advocate in key policy areas including open banking and comprehensive credit reporting,” says Tsen.

“The Fintech ecosystem is gearing up for an exciting end to the year with events in the coming months including Sibos, our flagship conference Intersekt and the launch of the EY Fintech Census.

“As an organisation we are excited by the changes that the industry as a whole is undergoing and we’re still working hard to advocate for our members during this important time.”